Legendary crooner Tom Jones sings at Sands Bethlehem Event Center on Sept. 6
From a press release:
It was announced today that legendary Welsh singer Tom Jones, known for Top 40 hits like “It’s Not Unusual,” “What’s New Pussycat,” “Delilah,” “She’s a Lady,” “If I Only Knew,” “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again,” “Green, Green Grass of Home,” “Kiss,” and “Sex Bomb,” will perform at the Sands Bethlehem Event Center on Wednesday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m.
“It gives me great pleasure to announce my upcoming U.S. tour this fall; my band and I will be hitting the road and playing 21 shows across 13 states! Very much looking forward to performing for you. I hope to see you there!” Jones said.
Tickets, which are $59, $69, and $89, plus applicable fees, go on sale this Friday, June 16 at 10 a.m. and can be purchased at sandseventcenter.com, the Event Center box office (77 Sands Blvd., Bethlehem), ticketmaster.com and all Ticketmaster outlets, or by phone at 800-745-3000.
Tom Jones’ over 50-year career has remarkably gone from strength to strength. Along with sustaining his popularity as a live performer and recording artist for five decades, he has garnered – at the age of 77 – the best reviews of his career for his most recent albums, “Long Lost Suitcase,” “Spirit in the Room,” and “Praise & Blame.” Critics across the world are unanimous in their approval and admiration for both the recorded work and the performance of it in concert.
Thomas Jones Woodward was born in Pontypridd, South Wales, Great Britain on June 7, 1940 to a father who worked the coal mines of the Rhondda Valley. After quitting school at 15, working a variety of manual jobs, singing in the clubs at night, and marrying at 17, Jones went on to sign with Decca Records in London.
Jones has a fundamental interest in a wide range of music. Although he is well known for 36 Top 40 hits, he is first and foremost an artist with a true rhythm and blues soul. He has remained a vital recording artist, with his 1999 album “Reload” the biggest selling of his then 35-year career. He was a key player in Martin Scorsese’s “Red, White & Blues” series and, in 2004, released an album of roots rock ‘n’ roll with Jools Holland. In 2008, “24 Hours” was a critical career highlight, with many of the self-penned tracks being an insightful and evocative reflection of his spirited and rich life.
2010 saw a change of direction with Jones, releasing his 39th studio album, “Praise & Blame.” The “Praise & Blame” mantra was “get back to basics,” and the album was recorded as wholly live performances at Peter Gabriel’s studio in Bath, England, produced by Ethan Johns (Kings of Leon, Ryan Adams, Ray LaMontagne, Laura Marling, Paolo Nutini). The result witnessed a singer at the top of his game, with the songs themselves coaxing exhilarating performances out of Jones and his band.
Following the success of “Praise & Blame,” in May of 2012, he released “Spirit in the Room.” Paired once again with producer/guitarist Ethan Johns at Bath’s Real World Studios, “Spirit in the Room,” like its predecessor, allows an unvarnished Jones to bring a voice to songs as only he can. Accompanied by Johns throughout, the album includes simple, raw, and soulful gems from a diverse choice of writers – Richard Thompson, Leonard Cohen, Paul Simon, and Paul McCartney, among others.
He was knighted by Her Majesty the Queen in 2006, an honor he deeply cherishes that he was able to celebrate once again in 2012 when he performed at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace. Other highlights of his long career include receiving a Brit Award for Best Male and Outstanding Contribution to Music, a Silver Clef Award and a Silver Clef Award for Lifetime Achievement, the Hitmaker Award from the U.S. Songwriters Hall of Fame, GQ Man of the Year, and the prestigious U.K. Music Industry Trust Award. He has been animated as himself in “The Simpsons,” “Duck Dodgers,” and “The Emperor’s New Groove;” other film roles include Tim Burton’s “Mars Attacks.” In 2012, he landed his first acting role not playing himself, alongside Brenda Blethyn and Alison Steadman, in “Playhouse Presents: King of the Teds” for Sky Arts.
In 2015, he continued his role as a coach on the fourth series of “The Voice UK,” working alongside Will.i.am, Rita Ora, and Ricky Wilson. In February of that year, a very special invitation was received to perform at the 25th anniversary of MusiCares Person of the Year tribute honoring Bob Dylan, alongside musical luminaries Bruce Springsteen, Beck, Jack White, Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, and many more. The following evening, he sang a duet with Jessie J at the 57th annual Grammy Awards.
After a busy few months touring, he went into the latter part of 2015 with two very special releases – his first-ever autobiography entitled “Over the Top and Back” and the book’s companion soundtrack, entitled “Long Lost Suitcase,” which he actively promoted internationally. He also engaged in a major fundraising effort for the BBC’s charity Children in Need, headlining a special two-hour television event with his friends in both music and comedy.
Sir Tom Jones is indeed a living legend, one of the few musical artists whose profession began at the dawn of modern popular music who continues to have a vital recording and performing career to this day. His irresistible show traverses musical eras and genres, cuts across class divides, and appeals to young and old, male and female, mainstream and cutting edge. He has always been about the power of the song and the power of the voice.
